Andrew arrabito of half face blades tells how his experience as a navy seal has impacted his art.
One newcomer, who has brought a high level of art to knife making, is former U.S. Navy SEAL, Andrew Arrabito.Through his company, Half Face Blades, he has taken the lessons learned with the SEAL teams to create some of the most functional and outstanding custom knives on the market.
We caught up with Andrew to get the real deal on the company and his humble beginnings.
KI: Why did you choose the Navy and what made being a SEAL the path you wanted to take?
AA: In sixth grade, my cousin gave me a Navy SEAL workout book. As I got older and closer to an age when I could join up, I ultimately chose the SEAL teams because there are so few of them, which keeps the community elite. Most important, though, I knew the war would spill over here if we didn’t take the fight to them first. I had to be a part of that.
KI: How did Half Face Blades come about?
AA: I grew up in a very outdoor-oriented family; camping, backpacking, etc. My two older brothers were into Native American history, survival and culture, big time. We would make old tools and grind knives from leaf springs—very primitive tools then, but it was a start that led me to now. Since then, I have stayed an outdoorsman, adventurer and have always used knives. When I was seven, my brothers and father were killed in a plane crash in Alaska. Actually, two of the knives they had bought there as gifts to give to me were found in the crash, and I have them to this day. Those will be some special blades to rework one day.
Esta historia es de la edición March-April 2017 de Knives Illustrated.
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Esta historia es de la edición March-April 2017 de Knives Illustrated.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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TIP TALK
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLADE TIP SHAPES AND WHY IT MATTERS
HOLDING FIRM
GETTING A GRIP ON KNIFE HANDLE BENEFITS, MATERIALS, AND FUNCTIONALITY
EDGE UP
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
THE COMBAT KITCHEN
SLICE, DICE, CHOP, AND CUT: FOOD PREP WITH BLADES FROM POPULAR TACTICAL KNIFE COMPANIES
MORAKNIV Classics
THESE TIMELESS BUSHCRAFT KNIVES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AND ARE BETTER THAN EVER
ONE FOR THE ROAD
CHOOSING AN “EVERYWHERE KNIFE” CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMPLICATED KNIFE LAWS
TRAVELING LIGHT
SOMETIMES, INEXPENSIVE UTILITY BLADES YOU PICK UP AT YOUR DESTINATION CAN GET THE JOB DONE
MATCHED PAIR
JB KNIFE WORKS LAYMAN KNIFE AND GAMBIT HATCHET COMBO: ONE PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHER LEAVES OFF
WHEN BIGGER IS BETTER
THE CAS IBERIA CHOP HOUSE IS A MACHETE THAT PROVIDES BIG BLADE CUTTING POWER
KITCHEN KNIVES DON'T HAVE TO BE DULL
I have a confession to make. See if this sounds familiar. I take meticulous care of the knives I use for everyday carry, hunting, and general woods wandering. I wipe them down with an oily cloth after use and I never let them get too dull. Seldom do I have to restore a damaged edge. Most of the time I simply touch up the edges of my pocketknives with a few careful strokes across the rough bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. That’s usually all that’s needed. I don’t use my knives as screwdrivers or pry bars. As a matter of fact, I still have the very first knife I ever owned, an old Boy Scout knife that was handed down from my older brother. The blades have a deep patina that comes with using carbon steel over the years, but the knife is very usable still.
